CONTACT TYPE SENSOR FOR INSPECTING CONTOUR OF CYLINDRICAL WORK

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately determine the degree of deformation of the outer circumferential surface of workpiece while the positioning accuracy of the workpiece is set gently, by selectively using a cylindrical part and a circular sharp protruded part corresponding to the form of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical workpiece. SOLUTION: This contact type sensor for inspecting the outline of cylindrical workpiece employs a circular sharp protruded part 34a to be pressed onto a local part of the outer circumferential surface of an upright part of a pipe body and a broad cylindrical part 34b to be pressed onto the entire outer circumferential area of a large-diameter flange part thereof as contact roller 34. A mobile plate 35 supports the contact roller 34 about a shaft core thereof. A cylinder 38 presses and moves the contact roller 34 onto the outer circumferential surface of the pipe body to bias. A potentiometer is provided to detect a diametrically moving value of the contact roller 34. A personal computer inputs the diametrically moving value of the contact roller 34 and an angle of rotation of a circular rotary frame detected by an encoder, to compute the shape and the degree of deformation of the outer circumferential surface of the pipe body. This enables accurate inspection though the positioning accuracy of the pipe body is somewhat poor, thereby allowing gently setting of the positioning accuracy of the pipe body accordingly.